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Brandon LaReau

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Sweet 2006 Ariel had no idea what was coming just months after graduating 8th grade.

20 years ago today, we got the call that changed our lives forever. My dad had passed away.

He was the most amazing guy. Everyone who knew him says the same thing. He was the dad who pulled us on inner tubes at the beach, coached our sports teams, and sent postcards home when he was deployed. He always showed up with flowers on birthdays and holidays. Black Friday wasn’t about shopping in our house. It was the day the Christmas lights went up. He was everything a husband and a father should be.

20 years is a long time. High school graduations. College graduations. Moves. Vacations. Family milestones where he’s been missing. But I haven’t gone through any of it alone.

Learning how to grieve is one of the hardest things a person will ever do. Kidz and Grief didn’t just teach me how to grieve in a healthy way. It gave me a family. People I’ve grown up with. People who have walked through life with me ever since.

And to my best friends who aren’t part of that world but have stood right beside me anyway, showing up, listening, loving me through it all, this is for you too. I love you and I don’t take you for granted, ever.

I can’t imagine my life without any of you. Thank you for always being there. 🤍

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Monday night’s screening of YOU ARE HERE: A COME FROM AWAY STORY, followed by a thoughtful Q&A with filmmaker @mozemossanen, was a moving reminder of the resilience, generosity, and humanity that connect us all.⁣
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Deep gratitude to @thebyrdrva for hosting this special event, and to Moze Mossanen for traveling from Canada to be with us. And a heartfelt thanks to the cast and creative team of @vareptheatre’s COME FROM AWAY, VA Rep’s staff and board members, and the wonderful audience members whose presence, enthusiasm, and reflections made the evening so meaningful.⁣
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The evening was a celebration of storytelling, community, and the enduring truth at the heart of COME FROM AWAY: when people come together, extraordinary things can happen.⁣
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#VaRepComeFromAway #communityevent #youareheredocumentary #rvaarts #VARep

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2025 showed me so much. Disney Cruise memories, Kelsea moments, and real growth thanks to KW. My first sourdough loaf came out of the oven in July. I got new scars, we said goodbye to Gramp Howard, and I strengthened family bonds that mean everything to me.
I reconnected with old friends, took big steps toward leadership, found more confidence, and started laying the foundation for the life I truly want. I’m grateful, I’m learning, and I’m proud of the woman I’m becoming. 🤍

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Please join us in welcoming a new member to the VA Rep team! Brandon LaReau, PhD, has returned to the Richmond area and joins @vareptheatre as our new Development Associate. We’re delighted to have Brandon on board and look forward to all we’ll accomplish together.⁣
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Brandon is thrilled to be returning to VA Rep in this new capacity, after having won the 2019 ARTSIE for his performance as Lion in THE WIZ. Brandon holds a BA from Christopher Newport University, an MFA from Virginia Commonwealth University, and a PhD from the University of Georgia. In addition to his work as a performer and director, Dr. LaReau’s work has been published in, among others, Theatre Journal, Studies in Musical Theatre, New England Theatre Journal, Theatre Topics, and Theatre History Studies; and has been presented at The Theatre in Higher Education Conference, The International Society for the Study of Musicals, and the Mid-America Theatre Conference. As a scholar, his work focuses on the dramaturgy of race in opera and musical theatre. Previously he has taught courses at VCU, UGA, and most recently Florida State University, he still serves as Conference Planner for the Mid-America Theatre Conference. Excited to be back in Richmond, when not at Virginia Rep, look for Brandon walking around The Fan - coffee in hand - or singing way too loudly in his car. Some of his favorite musicals include 1776, GYPSY, CATS, CHICAGO, and LEGALLY BLONDE; favorite plays include AN OCTAROON by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, THE FROGS by Aristophanes, and DISGRACED by Ayad Akhtar.

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Congratulations to the Whites! Love you both dearly 🤍

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Goodbye 2023, you weirdo of a year. While 2023 wasn’t a banner year in terms of artistic volume, I did get to make an opera with a lot of wonderful people and I did complete writing my upcoming book. The move dominated my year, with the new (wonderful) gig leaving little time for fan art, art-art, personal projects, or design work. Good news, though: 2024 is coming in for a landing with a load of opera and musical designs, so there should be lots to see here soon! Florida has brought new friends, a DnD group (i feel like calling us a party without checking with the group is bad luck as we haven’t yet DTR), and a real sense of daily peace in the beauty of my surroundings. Resolutions for the new year: draw a lot more, make more time for shenanigans by being more efficient elsewhere, and be better about keeping in touch with the people I love (yes, you.) Enjoy a few excerpts on these themed pages: art, Sanders extended edition, and adventures with found family. Happy New Year, everyone! 🍾🎉🥰
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#happynewyear #2023 #artvsartist #yearinreview

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Willkommen, bienvenue, welcome! ✨🎉
The first week of classes is off to a great start here in Tallahassee and the 23-24 academic year is shaping up to be a great one!

We're so excited to welcome these new members of our faculty to the College of Fine Arts.

⭐Mora Beauchamp-Byrd, Department of Art History

⭐Jen Gillette, School of Theatre

⭐Brandon LaReau, School of Theatre

⭐MJ Neuberger, Department of Art

⭐Karina Benjamin, School of Theatre

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Freshman year: 2022-2023!! ❤️🖤#godawgs🐾

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Commencement weekend keeps on commencing. #graduationday #departmentconvocation #phdone🎓 #ugatheatre #dramadawgs

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The top of my dress is convertible and that is very exciting to me

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Quick lil Asheville trip :)

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